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Imagine being thousands of miles away but seeing your loved ones or business associates in high-quality video as you're talking to them on the phone. Inventors have been chasing down this dream since 1964, when AT&T showed the PicturePhone at the New York World's Fair. But that attemptand every other in the following four decadesnever took off, mostly because of poor video quality.

The emergence of broadband and other technologies could finally change all that. Faster, more reliable connections, as well as improved video compression technologies, have given this latest generation of phones the ability to deliver near-television-quality video. Cost is still an issue, as the four broadband videophone entries we tested run $300 to $800 each for the hardware (and of course, you need at least two), with monthly video service fees ranging from $15 to $30. And none of the phones is interoperable with other brands (yet), so for the immediate future, plan on having the same maker's phone on each side.

Our take: We think you'll be pleasantly surprised, perhaps even shocked, by the quality of the connection. Audio and video syncing is very good, though small latencies are the norm. There can be some delay with really fast-paced conversations, but even so, the video quality will keep you coming back.

About the Author

Rob Lipschutz is PC Magazine's Lead Analyst for Business and Networking. He is responsible for our coverage of networking, and of services and software targeted at the unique needs of smaller businesses. As former Technical Director, Networking for PC Magazine, he just can't get these products out of his blood. Rob has written three books and num... See Full Bio

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